PERSONAL FRONT- (def p. 108)-The expressive equipment we conciously or unconciously use as we present ourselves to others, including appearance and manner to help establish the definition of the situation.
The joker uses his accidentally acquired appearance to aid in his personal front , showcasing his ever growing dislike for "normal" society, social class structure, and especially authority. He continues to dress in a manner that causes him to appear an outlier and accentuate his "crazy" side even to the level of being demonic, which innevitably making him the perfect opposite (and villain) for batman.
Chapter 6 - Deviance
Deviance, Rebel, Body modification
Deviance (p 153) - a behavior, trait, belief, or other characteristic that violates a norm and causes a negative reaction.
Rebel (p 157) – individuals who reject society’s approved goals and means and instead create and work towards their own (sometimes revolutionary) goals using new means.
Body Modification (p 155) – The deliberate altering of the human anatomy or phenotype. Often done for aesthetics, sexual enhancement, rites of passage, religious beliefs, to display group membership or affiliation, to create body art, for shock value, and as self-expression. (taken from Wikipedia)
The joker is a perfect example for this entire chapter but specifically these points. He is an individual that uses (though accidental in the original purposeful in later depictions) his body modification to instill a sense of uneasiness for those he scares and to portray himself as deviant almost like a uniform. He aims to be different than any other member of his society both good and bad therefore he is a rebel from both sides of the spectrum as illustrated on page 157 of “the Real World by Ferris and Stein”. From a visual standpoint to an attitude as well as behavior the Joker is the embodiment of a deviate rebel with extreme body modifications embraced by his actions.
Chapter 8- Prejudice and individual discrimination
Prejudice (p 222)- an idea about characteristics of a group that is applies to all members of that group and is unlikely to change regardless of the evidence against it.
Individual discrimination (p223) - discrimination carried out by one person against another.
The joker knows very well the idea of prejudice and individual discrimination though not always rightfully so. The city of Gotham considers The Joker to be in the same category and group as the Penguin, Riddler, Bane, and the Killer Kroc who are all part of the criminal mastermind of the city and have a serious hatred of batman. The Joker, though sometimes part of this group, cannot be lumped permanently due to his always changing ulterior motives. He is just as likely to combat the agenda of bane as he is to batman because his ultimate goal is total chaos for both sides of the fence though most citizens of Gotham see him and treat him as an equal to the rest of the bunch while the police continue to abate his agenda even if it is in their best interest. All they see is the outward appearance and his general chaotic attitude which lead to individual discrimination and prejudice to lock him up, kill him or anything in between. Due to this personal agenda he also experiences the same prejudice and discrimination from the criminals always sitting in the middle being despised by both.
Chapter 10-
Government (p281) - the formal, organized agency that exercises power and control in modern society, especially through the creation and enforcement of laws.
Power (p281) – the ability to impose one’s will on others.
Authority (p281) – the legitimate non-coercive exercise of power.
As illustrated in The Dark Knight, The joker attempts, through fear and deception, to over through the government of Gotham, convincing the citizens that their leaders lack the authority and power to contain the Batman or the crime bosses alike. Thus, allowing the Joker to convince the population that they must take matters into their own hands. (The bad must kill the good or the good must kill the bad or I’m killing you all) Ultimately the mass population think better of this and decide to accept the fate of death over the thought of mass killing for self-preservation proving that fear is not the strongest motivator of power and that one can not just accept authority and power if one so chooses.
Chapter 3-
Material culture (p81) - the objects associated with a cultural group, such as tools, machines, utensils, buildings, and artwork; any physical object to which we give social meaning.
Norm (p84) – a rule or guideline regarding what kind of behaviors are acceptable and appropriate with a culture.
Sanctions (p85) – positive or negative reactions to the ways that people follow or disobey norms, including rewards for conformity and punishment for violations.
Social control (p85) – the formal and informal mechanisms used to elicit conformity to values and norms and thus increase social cohesion.
In the wicked world of Joker and his clown henchmen, order is maintained in a similar manner as the general population though a very opposite motive is kept. The material culture of the underworld is more that of demolished buildings and machine guns, with the norms being dictatorship instead of democracy, and stealing as opposed to buying. Those in charge maintain order through social controls such as fear through brutality and sanctions by praising those who cause chaos and killing those who obey laws.
Sean Day
North Metro
'The Joker'- by Jim G.
Comedian by night. His (or her) goal is to keep you laughing while their minions are 'taking you to the cleaners'!
The Joker is a sly guy, comes across a bit shy. He'll take you on the fly!
From Page 106: LOOKING-GLASS SELF the notion that the self develops through our perception of others’ evaluations and appraisals of us.
PREPARATORY STAGE the first stage in Mead’s theory of the development of self wherein children mimic or imitate others.
PLAY STAGE the second stage in Mead’s theory of the development of self wherein children pretend to play the role of the particular or significant other.
From page 109: COOLING THE MARK OUT behaviors that help others to save face or avoid embarrassment, often referred to as civility or tact.
How do these concepts apply?
The Looking Glass Self- The Joker only cares about his perception by others to the extent that he can move them toward fear.
Preparatory Stage, Play Stage and Game Stage- not much is known about The Joker’s formative years. Perhaps one or both of his parents were clowns or circus actors? It could be argued that The Joker is perpetually stuck in Game Stage.
Cooling the Mark Out- just the opposite. How can The Joker help his potential victims lose face? As a loner he’s not too often found in situations needing to help others.
GROUP (page 127): a collection of people who share some attribute, identify with one another, and interact with each other.
CATEGORY (page 127): people who share one or more attributes but who lack a sense of common identity or belonging.
SOCIAL NETWORK (page 128): the web of direct and indirect ties connecting an individual to other people who may also affect the individual.
SOCIAL TIES (page 128): connections between individuals.
TRADITIONAL AUTHORITY (page 142): authority based in custom, birthright, or divine right.
LEGAL-RATIONAL AUTHORITY (page 142): authority based in laws, rules, and procedures, not in the heredity or personality of any individual leader.
CHARISMATIC AUTHORITY (page 142): authority based in the perception of remarkable personal qualities in a leader.
RATIONALIZATION(page 145): the application of economic logic to human activity; the use of formal rules and regulations in order to maximize efficiency without consideration of subjective or individual concerns.
MCDONALDIZATION (page 145): George Ritzer’s term describing the spread of bureaucratic rationalization and the accompanying increases in efficiency and dehumanization.
How do these concepts apply?
Group (page 127)- The Joker wouldn't be a part of any group aside from this assigned to him by others. His competitive nature won't allow for 'top dog' but 'only dog'. He desires High SocioEconomic Status (SES) (page 129).
Category (page 127)- criminal, witty. His sense of common identity is to ‘not belong’.
Has no SOCIAL TIES (page 128) or SOCIAL NETWORK (page 128)- a ‘loner’ if you will.
Strives for INFLUENTIAL POWER (page 142) over his adversaries.
Rebels against TRADITIONAL (page 142) and LEGAL-RATIONAL (page 142) authority but strives for having CHARISMATIC AUTHORITY (page 142).
Rebels against RATIONALIZATION (page 145) but supports the MCDONALDIZATION (page 145) of society; a more dehumanized humanity is ‘good for business’.
In conclusion- you never see The Joker in a group photo; he’s a loner.
Chapter insight- Note that Solomon Asch was Stanley Milgram's professor (p 138), and Philip Zimbardo (Stanford Prison Experiment) was a high school classmate of Mr. Milgram!
Frankly, almost all of the 30 ‘redword’ concepts/definitions apply to The Joker. In my opinion one would find his image in the dictionary as a visual definition of most of these words! Let’s focus on DEVIANCE (page 153). Deviance is defined as "a behavior, trait, belief, or other characteristic that violates a norm and causes a negative reaction."
How does this concept apply?
Deviance is The Joker’s Modus Operandi- he seeks to destabilize all normal situations for his own ends.
Chapter 8: Race And Ethnicity As Lived Experience
Jim G
Image (and interesting article) via: http://biglizards.net/blog/archives/2009/08/heath_ledger_am.html
The concept of interest is: ‘DOUBLE-CONSCIOUSNESS’- page 225. Defined as ‘W.E.B. DuBois’s term for the divided identity experienced by blacks in America.’
Concept of Application- President Obama has expressed that his family was like a mini-united nations: “Michelle will tell you that when we get together for Christmas or Thanksgiving, it's like a little mini-United Nations... I've got relatives who look like Bernie Mac, and I've got relatives who look like Margaret Thatcher... We've got it all.”
Mr. Obama physically appears black. His educational background and present family (wife and two children) present him as a upper-middle-class professional, a socio-economic status sterotypically connected to white people.
Though many disagree with his policies it must be observed that his ability to appeal to ‘both sides’ of issues, especially early in his presidency, are of a man capable of influence. The surprise award of the 2009 Nobel Peace prize and the humble (in my opinion) manner in which he accepted it suggest he’s capable of leading and/or misleading many- what is your perspective? He’s either a great leader or the greatest ‘joker’ in recent political history.
The Joker is interviewed on one of the Sunday Morning Talk shows (‘Face the Nation’, ‘Meet the Press’, etc). He’s announced his candidacy for the new ‘Leader of the World’ title with which he is presenting as a new form of world government. A transcript of one of his interviews follows along with the ‘Real Answer (RA)’ provided by one of his minions who has asked not to be identified.
Q1: What is your preferred form of government?
A1: An Absolute Benevolent Monarchy of which the World has never seen before. We now live in a one-world setting- we need a one-world leader who can stretch across borders, languages, and cultures.
RA1: He is stating is beliefs accurately except for the ‘Benevolent’ part. A single-point of power would be good; who needs world wars when it’s only one human race?
Q2: How will you be elected?
A2: The people will choose to follow those they prefer. Elections are in the past- I will be the first real-world leader selected via my personality.
RA2: Why buy elections when you can buy people cheaper? Chicago-style politics at it’s finest- people vote their self-interests and who doesn’t like a ‘funny guy’?
Q3: How will you rule?
A3: With Love. All we need is love.
RA3: All he needs is everyone’s love. And their allegiance. And their stuff. He’s not lying, he’s just not a full-disclosure kinda guy!
Q4: How can people vote?
A4: How can they not? Everyone above the age of 18 can vote.
RA4: Especially the disenfranchised- oppressed people WANT to see the world turned upside down! They think it will benefit them. No worries as long as it benefits the Joker as well.
RA Summary- We want to franchise the disenfranchised via our benevolent dictatorship, rule with Authoritarianism, and ultimately Rule The World, the ultimate goal of any Real Superhero.
The Network's 'Talking Head' thoughts (Who happens to have a degree in Sociology!) presents a post-interview commentary ala '60 minutes-
"Though our audience is not familiar with 'Benevolent Dictatorship', 'Anarchy' (neither concept found in the textbook) and other 'Anti' concepts, the Joker aims to please. He'll present The Familiar and Deliver The Opposite. He'll Promise you Stable Social Institutions and deliver Anarchy. He Promotes The Sacred and delivers the Profane. His Ascension Shall Be Your Downfall. All Hail the Joker, the future King of the world! In many ways he's the ultimate politician; he'll be more consistent in lying."
Applicable Concepts (aka 'red words')-
Chapter 4
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joker_(comics)PERSONAL FRONT- (def p. 108)-The expressive equipment we conciously or unconciously use as we present ourselves to others, including appearance and manner to help establish the definition of the situation.
The joker uses his accidentally acquired appearance to aid in his personal front , showcasing his ever growing dislike for "normal" society, social class structure, and especially authority. He continues to dress in a manner that causes him to appear an outlier and accentuate his "crazy" side even to the level of being demonic, which innevitably making him the perfect opposite (and villain) for batman.
Chapter 6 - Deviance
Deviance, Rebel, Body modification
Deviance (p 153) - a behavior, trait, belief, or other characteristic that violates a norm and causes a negative reaction.
Rebel (p 157) – individuals who reject society’s approved goals and means and instead create and work towards their own (sometimes revolutionary) goals using new means.
Body Modification (p 155) – The deliberate altering of the human anatomy or phenotype. Often done for aesthetics, sexual enhancement, rites of passage, religious beliefs, to display group membership or affiliation, to create body art, for shock value, and as self-expression. (taken from Wikipedia)
The joker is a perfect example for this entire chapter but specifically these points. He is an individual that uses (though accidental in the original purposeful in later depictions) his body modification to instill a sense of uneasiness for those he scares and to portray himself as deviant almost like a uniform. He aims to be different than any other member of his society both good and bad therefore he is a rebel from both sides of the spectrum as illustrated on page 157 of “the Real World by Ferris and Stein”. From a visual standpoint to an attitude as well as behavior the Joker is the embodiment of a deviate rebel with extreme body modifications embraced by his actions.
Chapter 8-
Prejudice and individual discrimination
Prejudice (p 222)- an idea about characteristics of a group that is applies to all members of that group and is unlikely to change regardless of the evidence against it.
Individual discrimination (p223) - discrimination carried out by one person against another.
The joker knows very well the idea of prejudice and individual discrimination though not always rightfully so. The city of Gotham considers The Joker to be in the same category and group as the Penguin, Riddler, Bane, and the Killer Kroc who are all part of the criminal mastermind of the city and have a serious hatred of batman. The Joker, though sometimes part of this group, cannot be lumped permanently due to his always changing ulterior motives. He is just as likely to combat the agenda of bane as he is to batman because his ultimate goal is total chaos for both sides of the fence though most citizens of Gotham see him and treat him as an equal to the rest of the bunch while the police continue to abate his agenda even if it is in their best interest. All they see is the outward appearance and his general chaotic attitude which lead to individual discrimination and prejudice to lock him up, kill him or anything in between. Due to this personal agenda he also experiences the same prejudice and discrimination from the criminals always sitting in the middle being despised by both.
Chapter 10-
Government (p281) - the formal, organized agency that exercises power and control in modern society, especially through the creation and enforcement of laws.
Power (p281) – the ability to impose one’s will on others.
Authority (p281) – the legitimate non-coercive exercise of power.
As illustrated in The Dark Knight, The joker attempts, through fear and deception, to over through the government of Gotham, convincing the citizens that their leaders lack the authority and power to contain the Batman or the crime bosses alike. Thus, allowing the Joker to convince the population that they must take matters into their own hands. (The bad must kill the good or the good must kill the bad or I’m killing you all) Ultimately the mass population think better of this and decide to accept the fate of death over the thought of mass killing for self-preservation proving that fear is not the strongest motivator of power and that one can not just accept authority and power if one so chooses.
Chapter 3-
Material culture (p81) - the objects associated with a cultural group, such as tools, machines, utensils, buildings, and artwork; any physical object to which we give social meaning.
Norm (p84) – a rule or guideline regarding what kind of behaviors are acceptable and appropriate with a culture.
Sanctions (p85) – positive or negative reactions to the ways that people follow or disobey norms, including rewards for conformity and punishment for violations.
Social control (p85) – the formal and informal mechanisms used to elicit conformity to values and norms and thus increase social cohesion.
In the wicked world of Joker and his clown henchmen, order is maintained in a similar manner as the general population though a very opposite motive is kept. The material culture of the underworld is more that of demolished buildings and machine guns, with the norms being dictatorship instead of democracy, and stealing as opposed to buying. Those in charge maintain order through social controls such as fear through brutality and sanctions by praising those who cause chaos and killing those who obey laws.
Sean Day
North Metro
'The Joker'- by Jim G.
Comedian by night. His (or her) goal is to keep you laughing while their minions are 'taking you to the cleaners'!
The Joker is a sly guy, comes across a bit shy. He'll take you on the fly!
http://batman.wikia.com/wiki/The_Joker
Chapter 4- The Self and Interaction
Jim G.http://batman.wikia.com/wiki/The_Joker
Concepts & Definitions that apply to The Joker
From Page 106:
LOOKING-GLASS SELF the notion that the self develops through our perception of others’ evaluations and appraisals of us.
PREPARATORY STAGE the first stage in Mead’s theory of the development of self wherein children mimic or imitate others.
PLAY STAGE the second stage in Mead’s theory of the development of self wherein children pretend to play the role of the particular or significant other.
From page 109:
COOLING THE MARK OUT behaviors that help others to save face or avoid embarrassment, often referred to as civility or tact.
How do these concepts apply?
The Looking Glass Self- The Joker only cares about his perception by others to the extent that he can move them toward fear.
Preparatory Stage, Play Stage and Game Stage- not much is known about The Joker’s formative years. Perhaps one or both of his parents were clowns or circus actors? It could be argued that The Joker is perpetually stuck in Game Stage.
Cooling the Mark Out- just the opposite. How can The Joker help his potential victims lose face? As a loner he’s not too often found in situations needing to help others.
FrontStage (page 109)- The Joker’s whole life.
Chapter 5 Separate and Together: Life in Groups
Jim G.http://batman.wikia.com/wiki/Joker_Thugs_(The_Dark_Knight)
Concepts & Definitions that apply to The Joker
GROUP (page 127): a collection of people who share some attribute, identify with one another, and interact with each other.
CATEGORY (page 127): people who share one or more attributes but who lack a sense of common identity or belonging.
SOCIAL NETWORK (page 128): the web of direct and indirect ties connecting an individual to other people who may also affect the individual.
SOCIAL TIES (page 128): connections between individuals.
TRADITIONAL AUTHORITY (page 142): authority based in custom, birthright, or divine right.
LEGAL-RATIONAL AUTHORITY (page 142): authority based in laws, rules, and procedures, not in the heredity or personality of any individual leader.
CHARISMATIC AUTHORITY (page 142): authority based in the perception of remarkable personal qualities in a leader.
RATIONALIZATION (page 145): the application of economic logic to human activity; the use of formal rules and regulations in order to maximize efficiency without consideration of subjective or individual concerns.
MCDONALDIZATION (page 145): George Ritzer’s term describing the spread of bureaucratic rationalization and the accompanying increases in efficiency and dehumanization.
How do these concepts apply?
Group (page 127)- The Joker wouldn't be a part of any group aside from this assigned to him by others. His competitive nature won't allow for 'top dog' but 'only dog'. He desires High SocioEconomic Status (SES) (page 129).
Category (page 127)- criminal, witty. His sense of common identity is to ‘not belong’.
Has no SOCIAL TIES (page 128) or SOCIAL NETWORK (page 128)- a ‘loner’ if you will.
Strives for INFLUENTIAL POWER (page 142) over his adversaries.
Rebels against TRADITIONAL (page 142) and LEGAL-RATIONAL (page 142) authority but strives for having CHARISMATIC AUTHORITY (page 142).
Rebels against RATIONALIZATION (page 145) but supports the MCDONALDIZATION (page 145) of society; a more dehumanized humanity is ‘good for business’.
In conclusion- you never see The Joker in a group photo; he’s a loner.
Chapter insight- Note that Solomon Asch was Stanley Milgram's professor (p 138), and Philip Zimbardo (Stanford Prison Experiment) was a high school classmate of Mr. Milgram!
Chapter 6: Deviance
Jim G.Book- Cinematic Sociology: Social Life in Film
Concepts & Definitions that apply to The Joker
Frankly, almost all of the 30 ‘redword’ concepts/definitions apply to The Joker. In my opinion one would find his image in the dictionary as a visual definition of most of these words! Let’s focus on DEVIANCE (page 153). Deviance is defined as "a behavior, trait, belief, or other characteristic that violates a norm and causes a negative reaction."
How does this concept apply?
Deviance is The Joker’s Modus Operandi- he seeks to destabilize all normal situations for his own ends.
Chapter 8: Race And Ethnicity As Lived Experience
Jim GImage (and interesting article) via:
http://biglizards.net/blog/archives/2009/08/heath_ledger_am.html
The concept of interest is: ‘DOUBLE-CONSCIOUSNESS’- page 225. Defined as ‘W.E.B. DuBois’s term for the divided identity experienced by blacks in America.’
Concept of Application- President Obama has expressed that his family was like a mini-united nations: “Michelle will tell you that when we get together for Christmas or Thanksgiving, it's like a little mini-United Nations... I've got relatives who look like Bernie Mac, and I've got relatives who look like Margaret Thatcher... We've got it all.”
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Barack_Obama
Mr. Obama physically appears black. His educational background and present family (wife and two children) present him as a upper-middle-class professional, a socio-economic status sterotypically connected to white people.
Though many disagree with his policies it must be observed that his ability to appeal to ‘both sides’ of issues, especially early in his presidency, are of a man capable of influence. The surprise award of the 2009 Nobel Peace prize and the humble (in my opinion) manner in which he accepted it suggest he’s capable of leading and/or misleading many- what is your perspective? He’s either a great leader or the greatest ‘joker’ in recent political history.
Links:
Nobel speech commentary: http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/09/before-you-listen-to-obama-tonight-read-his-nobel-peace-prize-speech/279545/
President Obama’s Nobel Prize speech: http://youtu.be/AORo-YEXxNQ
Nobel prize cash donated to charities: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/11/obamas-nobel-money-presid_n_495525.html
Some call for the Nobel committee to revoke Obama's Nobel award: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/norman-solomon/the-growing-campaign-to-r_b_3007189.html
Chapter 10: The Macro-Micro Link in Social Institutions: Politics, Education, and Religion
11 November 2014Jim G
Here's How it Really Is (43 second video).
The Joker is interviewed on one of the Sunday Morning Talk shows (‘Face the Nation’, ‘Meet the Press’, etc). He’s announced his candidacy for the new ‘Leader of the World’ title with which he is presenting as a new form of world government. A transcript of one of his interviews follows along with the ‘Real Answer (RA)’ provided by one of his minions who has asked not to be identified.
Q1: What is your preferred form of government?
A1: An Absolute Benevolent Monarchy of which the World has never seen before. We now live in a one-world setting- we need a one-world leader who can stretch across borders, languages, and cultures.
RA1: He is stating is beliefs accurately except for the ‘Benevolent’ part. A single-point of power would be good; who needs world wars when it’s only one human race?
Q2: How will you be elected?
A2: The people will choose to follow those they prefer. Elections are in the past- I will be the first real-world leader selected via my personality.
RA2: Why buy elections when you can buy people cheaper? Chicago-style politics at it’s finest- people vote their self-interests and who doesn’t like a ‘funny guy’?
Q3: How will you rule?
A3: With Love. All we need is love.
RA3: All he needs is everyone’s love. And their allegiance. And their stuff. He’s not lying, he’s just not a full-disclosure kinda guy!
Q4: How can people vote?
A4: How can they not? Everyone above the age of 18 can vote.
RA4: Especially the disenfranchised- oppressed people WANT to see the world turned upside down! They think it will benefit them. No worries as long as it benefits the Joker as well.
RA Summary- We want to franchise the disenfranchised via our benevolent dictatorship, rule with Authoritarianism, and ultimately Rule The World, the ultimate goal of any Real Superhero.
The Network's 'Talking Head' thoughts (Who happens to have a degree in Sociology!) presents a post-interview commentary ala '60 minutes-
"Though our audience is not familiar with 'Benevolent Dictatorship', 'Anarchy' (neither concept found in the textbook) and other 'Anti' concepts, the Joker aims to please. He'll present The Familiar and Deliver The Opposite. He'll Promise you Stable Social Institutions and deliver Anarchy. He Promotes The Sacred and delivers the Profane. His Ascension Shall Be Your Downfall. All Hail the Joker, the future King of the world! In many ways he's the ultimate politician; he'll be more consistent in lying."
Applicable Concepts (aka 'red words')-
AUTHORITARIANISM
DISENFRANCHISED
MONARCHY
POLITICS
POWER
SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS